The people behind Kanne

The story behind a thriving family business

Now owned and operated by the fifth generation of the Kanne family, the company has been flourishing for 30 years. Instrumental to the company's multi-generational success is the close cooperation among Kanne family members. An expression of this joint effort is the fact that the various businesses are headed by Wilhelm Karl Kanne in collaboration with his wife Renate as well as by his mother Christel Kanne and his son Wilhelm, his daughter Katrin and her husband Tobias.The foundation of the family's teamwork is formed by the "Kanne concept".

Wilhelm Kanne: "For more than 30 years, it has been our goal to develop products that serve the good of mankind. The Kanne concept will always be the pivotal point of our work because it is a holistic view of the relationships between environment, flora and fauna! Research and development will also be in the foreground. Mankind stands a long-term chance only in a healthy environment. So we have to do everything in our power to improve this environment and thus preserve it for the generations to come."

For more than 100 years

In 1904, Wilhelm Kanne the First founded the very first Kanne bakery, which was to become the birthplace of the bread drink. His son, Wilhelm Kanne (II), took over the bakery from his father, starting the family tradition that, to this day, has met with unprecedented success. The enterprising son of Wilhelm Kanne II, Wilhelm Friedrich Kanne (III), took over the bakery in 1957 and wasted no time to open the first Kanne branches together with his wife Christel Kanne. Imbued with as much interest and idealism as with business sense, he began experimenting with the fermentation of bread around 1967 while continuing to grow the business of the bakery. He has always considered his invention to be a gift: "That was given to me." The son of the resourceful couple, Wilhelm Karl Kanne (IV) began managing the bakery in 1983. This allowed the parents to devote all their energy to refining their bread drink.Today, the bakery is managed by the grandchild of the bread drink inventor, Wilhelm Kanne (V), who shares the responsibility for this business with his father.